Chapter 2 of Gunman's Reckoning is here in full — 420 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
A keeper or guardian of historical records and memories.
Chapter II
Chapter 2 of Gunman's Reckoning is here in full — 420 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Donnegan waited for a moment before he answered. And when he spoke his voice had altered. Indeed, he had remarkable ability to pitch his voice into the roar of the freight train, and above or beneath it, and give it a quality such as he pleased. "I'm following a trail, but not yours," he admitted at length. "I'm following a trail.
Chapter 2 of Gunman's Reckoning is here in full — 420 sentences across 84 reading sections, with audio for every sentence and word.
Reading 1/84 · 5 reading units · Lines 1–5
These definitions explain words found in the current reading and keep every example grounded in its original sentence.
Oxford-style entry order: headword, part of speech, US IPA, concise definition, contextual example, and audio.
the quality of being able to perform; a quality that permits or facilitates achievement or accomplishment
From this reading “Indeed, he had remarkable ability to pitch his voice into the roar of the freight train, and above or beneath it, and give it a quality such as he pleased.”
changed in form or character without becoming something else
From this reading “And when he spoke his voice had altered.”
goods carried by a large vehicle
From this reading “Indeed, he had remarkable ability to pitch his voice into the roar of the freight train, and above or beneath it, and give it a quality such as he pleased.”
the property of sound that varies with variation in the frequency of vibration
From this reading “Indeed, he had remarkable ability to pitch his voice into the roar of the freight train, and above or beneath it, and give it a quality such as he pleased.”
an essential and distinguishing attribute of something or someone
From this reading “Indeed, he had remarkable ability to pitch his voice into the roar of the freight train, and above or beneath it, and give it a quality such as he pleased.”
unusual or striking
From this reading “Indeed, he had remarkable ability to pitch his voice into the roar of the freight train, and above or beneath it, and give it a quality such as he pleased.”
make a loud noise, as of wind, water, or vehicles
From this reading “Indeed, he had remarkable ability to pitch his voice into the roar of the freight train, and above or beneath it, and give it a quality such as he pleased.”
a track or mark left by something that has passed
From this reading “"I'm following a trail, but not yours," he admitted at length.”
Every word in these five lines is listed here, and every one of them can be played on its own.
Dictionary details are shown only when verified; these are not licensed Oxford entries.
used before a singular noun to mean one of a group, when it is not a particular one
From this reading Donnegan waited for a moment before he answered.
the quality of being able to perform; a quality that permits or facilitates achievement or accomplishment
From this reading Indeed, he had remarkable ability to pitch his voice into the roar of the freight train, and above or beneath it, and give it a quality such as he pleased.
higher than, or over, something
From this reading Indeed, he had remarkable ability to pitch his voice into the roar of the freight train, and above or beneath it, and give it a quality such as he pleased.
inflected form of “admit” — declare to be true or admit the existence or reality or truth of
From this reading "I'm following a trail, but not yours," he admitted at length.
changed in form or character without becoming something else
From this reading And when he spoke his voice had altered.
used to join words or parts of a sentence that go together
From this reading And when he spoke his voice had altered.
past form of “answer” — react verbally
From this reading Donnegan waited for a moment before he answered.
at the same time that; because; in the way that
From this reading Indeed, he had remarkable ability to pitch his voice into the roar of the freight train, and above or beneath it, and give it a quality such as he pleased.
in or near a particular place or position
From this reading "I'm following a trail, but not yours," he admitted at length.
earlier than; in front of
From this reading Donnegan waited for a moment before he answered.
Directly under; in or to a lower position than.
From this reading Indeed, he had remarkable ability to pitch his voice into the roar of the freight train, and above or beneath it, and give it a quality such as he pleased.
used to introduce something that contrasts with what came before
From this reading "I'm following a trail, but not yours," he admitted at length.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading Donnegan waited for a moment before he answered.
about to be mentioned or specified
From this reading "I'm following a trail, but not yours," he admitted at length.
intended to be given to, or used by, somebody
From this reading Donnegan waited for a moment before he answered.
goods carried by a large vehicle
From this reading Indeed, he had remarkable ability to pitch his voice into the roar of the freight train, and above or beneath it, and give it a quality such as he pleased.
cause to have, in the abstract sense or physical sense
From this reading Indeed, he had remarkable ability to pitch his voice into the roar of the freight train, and above or beneath it, and give it a quality such as he pleased.
the past form of “have”, used to form the past perfect
From this reading And when he spoke his voice had altered.
a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned, as the subject
From this reading Donnegan waited for a moment before he answered.
belonging to a man, boy, or male animal already mentioned
From this reading And when he spoke his voice had altered.
Dictionary entry pending editorial verification. Tap Listen to hear the word.
From this reading "I'm following a trail, but not yours," he admitted at length.
in truth (often tends to intensify)
From this reading Indeed, he had remarkable ability to pitch his voice into the roar of the freight train, and above or beneath it, and give it a quality such as he pleased.
moving to the inside of something
From this reading Indeed, he had remarkable ability to pitch his voice into the roar of the freight train, and above or beneath it, and give it a quality such as he pleased.
a thing, animal, or idea already mentioned
From this reading Indeed, he had remarkable ability to pitch his voice into the roar of the freight train, and above or beneath it, and give it a quality such as he pleased.
the linear extent in space from one end to the other; the longest dimension of something that is fixed in place
From this reading "I'm following a trail, but not yours," he admitted at length.
a particular point in time
From this reading Donnegan waited for a moment before he answered.
used to make a word, phrase, or sentence negative
From this reading "I'm following a trail, but not yours," he admitted at length.
belonging to, or connected with, somebody or something
From this reading Indeed, he had remarkable ability to pitch his voice into the roar of the freight train, and above or beneath it, and give it a quality such as he pleased.
used to join alternatives or possibilities
From this reading Indeed, he had remarkable ability to pitch his voice into the roar of the freight train, and above or beneath it, and give it a quality such as he pleased.
the property of sound that varies with variation in the frequency of vibration
From this reading Indeed, he had remarkable ability to pitch his voice into the roar of the freight train, and above or beneath it, and give it a quality such as he pleased.
experiencing or manifesting pleasure
From this reading Indeed, he had remarkable ability to pitch his voice into the roar of the freight train, and above or beneath it, and give it a quality such as he pleased.
an essential and distinguishing attribute of something or someone
From this reading Indeed, he had remarkable ability to pitch his voice into the roar of the freight train, and above or beneath it, and give it a quality such as he pleased.
unusual or striking
From this reading Indeed, he had remarkable ability to pitch his voice into the roar of the freight train, and above or beneath it, and give it a quality such as he pleased.
make a loud noise, as of wind, water, or vehicles
From this reading Indeed, he had remarkable ability to pitch his voice into the roar of the freight train, and above or beneath it, and give it a quality such as he pleased.
support consisting of a radial member of a wheel joining the hub to the rim
From this reading And when he spoke his voice had altered.
of the kind already mentioned
From this reading Indeed, he had remarkable ability to pitch his voice into the roar of the freight train, and above or beneath it, and give it a quality such as he pleased.
used before a noun that is already known, already mentioned, or the only one of its kind
From this reading Indeed, he had remarkable ability to pitch his voice into the roar of the freight train, and above or beneath it, and give it a quality such as he pleased.
used before the base form of a verb to make the infinitive
From this reading Indeed, he had remarkable ability to pitch his voice into the roar of the freight train, and above or beneath it, and give it a quality such as he pleased.
a track or mark left by something that has passed
From this reading "I'm following a trail, but not yours," he admitted at length.
create by training and teaching
From this reading Indeed, he had remarkable ability to pitch his voice into the roar of the freight train, and above or beneath it, and give it a quality such as he pleased.
the distinctive quality or pitch or condition of a person's speech
From this reading And when he spoke his voice had altered.
past form of “wait” — stay in one place and anticipate or expect something
From this reading Donnegan waited for a moment before he answered.
at the time that
From this reading And when he spoke his voice had altered.
the one or ones belonging to the person spoken to
From this reading "I'm following a trail, but not yours," he admitted at length.
Chapter 2 of Gunman's Reckoning by Max Brand holds 420 sentences, grouped into 84 reading sections of at most 5 sentences. The text is the public-domain source, unabridged, and the chapter records which sentences cover which part of the work so that nothing is dropped. Every word can be tapped for its pronunciation and dictionary entry.
Chapter 2 holds 420 sentences of Gunman's Reckoning, unabridged, divided into 84 reading sections.
This page carries chapter 2 of Gunman's Reckoning by Max Brand exactly as it stands in the public-domain source edition, without abridgement. It runs to 420 sentences, grouped into 84 sections of at most 5 sentences so that a reader can take the chapter in steady, finishable pieces. The chapter also stores a coverage record mapping every one of its sentences to a part of the work, which is how the edition demonstrates that no line was dropped.
Work through the 84 sections in order, replaying any sentence and tapping unfamiliar words for their entries.
Each of the 84 sections in this chapter is short enough to read once, hear once, and then re-read with the vocabulary in view. Tapping a word plays it alone and opens its dictionary entry with IPA, part of speech and meaning, so the reader is never forced to guess a pronunciation from spelling. Working section by section keeps a long chapter from becoming an undifferentiated wall of text, which is the usual reason a reader abandons a work of this period.
Yes — every sentence and every individual word in chapter 2 can be played aloud in United States English.
Audio covers the whole chapter: any sentence can be played, and any single word within it can be played on its own. The voice uses United States English. For a work of this period that matters, because spelling is an unreliable guide to pronunciation for vocabulary that has fallen out of daily use, and a learner who guesses wrong tends to keep the error. Hearing the word in its own sentence, and then alone, settles it.
Common questions about reading Gunman's Reckoning by Max Brand on this page, its source edition and its audio.
Yes. All 6281 sentences of Project Gutenberg eBook #10066 are kept, with a record of which sentences cover which part.
Project Gutenberg eBook #10066, a public-domain edition. The Project Gutenberg header, footer and licence are removed.
About 523 minutes of reading across 1257 sections of 5 sentences each, at an unhurried pace.
How to work through Gunman's Reckoning section by section, using the audio and the tap-to-define vocabulary.
Choose one of the 15 chapters of Gunman's Reckoning to begin.
Each section holds 5 sentences; read it once through.
Play the section aloud, then tap any unfamiliar word for its entry.
Words and structures a reader meets early in Gunman's Reckoning, each tappable for pronunciation and meaning.
